Kenya: Ruto – Next Election Will Come and Go, Kenya Must Think Beyond 2027

Nairobi — President William Ruto has told Kenyans to look beyond the 2027 General Election and focus on developing a long-term national plan that puts the interests of future generations ahead of political cycles.

Ruto said elections were temporary events that should not dictate the country’s development priorities, arguing that Kenya’s long-term plans had in the past been undermined by leaders focusing on the next election rather than the next generation.

“Kenya is bigger than any election. For far too long we have made elections to look like it is a matter of life and death. It is not,” Ruto said.

The President spoke as he called for a new national conversation on Kenya’s development beyond Vision 2030, saying the country needed to rethink its long-term ambitions in light of technological advances, climate change and the constitutional framework introduced in 2010.

“Many are telling me, why don’t you concentrate on the next election, leave this thing, it can be done some other time. I’m telling them the next election will come and go. Kenya must think beyond the next election,” he said.

Ruto argued that the circumstances under which Vision 2030 was developed had significantly changed, citing the emergence of artificial intelligence, the growing effects of climate change and the adoption of the 2010 Constitution.

He said the new constitutional dispensation provided a stronger basis for Kenyans to participate in determining the country’s long-term development priorities.

According to Ruto, the next national development blueprint should not be a government or bureaucratic project but one shaped by citizens across the country.

“This is not a government project. This is a people’s project,” he said, urging farmers, entrepreneurs, students, technocrats, religious groups, civil society and the private sector to contribute ideas on the Kenya they want to see in the future.

He said no individual or institution had a monopoly on ideas and that the process should bring together different perspectives to develop a shared national vision.

Ruto also linked the exercise to Africa’s growing economic significance, saying the global centre of gravity for economic growth was shifting towards the continent.

He said Kenya needed to position itself strategically to take advantage of Africa’s expanding markets and its large reserves of uncultivated arable land, particularly as the continent seeks to strengthen food security.

The President said the long-term plan should also address inequality, unemployment and limited incomes, particularly among vulnerable Kenyans.

Citing concerns raised during the discussions, he said a significant gap existed between the incomes of the poorest and wealthiest sections of society.

“We cannot progress as a nation when we cannot take care of the vulnerable,” Ruto said, calling for greater attention to access to education, healthcare, employment and economic opportunities.

He identified micro, small and medium enterprises as another critical area that Kenya must support, particularly by improving access to credit, markets and business opportunities.

Ruto further highlighted accountability and the fight against corruption, pointing to recent government efforts to digitise public procurement and strengthen transparency.

He said electronic government procurement would make it easier to establish who had been awarded contracts, the amounts involved and whether the prices reflected market rates.

The President also argued that technology would play an increasingly important role in combating fraud and corruption and improving the delivery of public services.

Ruto said the long-term national conversation should ultimately be about ensuring that constitutional rights and guarantees become a reality for all Kenyans.

He cited access to water, education, healthcare, housing, food security, human rights, electoral rights and the rule of law as areas that should be addressed through a clear national plan.

The President pledged that the Government would facilitate the process rather than control it, insisting that the responsibility for determining Kenya’s future belonged to citizens.

“Government is not going to lead the talks. It is going to facilitate. This is about the people,” he said.

Ruto said he would participate in the process not only as President but also as a Kenyan with his own aspirations for the country beyond his tenure in office.

He urged Kenyans not to allow political competition to overshadow the need for long-term national planning.

“Kenya must think for the next generation and I want to ask all of us here to think beyond any election cycle or any administration,” he said.

The remarks come as political activity begins to intensify ahead of the 2027 elections, with parties and politicians already positioning themselves for the contest.

Ruto’s call to look beyond the electoral cycle is likely to place greater focus on how the Government balances its immediate political pressures with its push for long-term economic and institutional reforms.

He maintained that the country had an opportunity to develop a shared vision that could outlast individual leaders and administrations.

“We must think about the next generation,” he said, pointing to a seven-year-old participant at the forum as an example of the Kenyans who would ultimately inherit the decisions being made today.

The President said Kenya should seize the opportunity to determine its future rather than leave that responsibility to successive governments or political administrations.

By Capital FM.